Hand-sewn shirts in Congers, NY

It’s 3 p.m. on a Wednesday and Matt Hecht is, as usual, deep into his sewing.

The methodical repetition of his needlework at a kitchen table in his parents’ home sometimes goes on for hours without pause.

The 25-year-old Congers resident has lived in the woods at “rainbow gatherings,” hopped trains across the country, abused alcohol and once lived in a Nyack yoga studio’s bathroom when he was fighting with his parents – a nurse and a biologist.

After many dead-end jobs at supermarkets and mall stands, Hecht said he’s found his calling: making custom clothing emblazoned with his rough-stitch design and “Life’s Hectic” motto.

“If anyone says their life isn’t hectic, they either have no idea or they’re lying,” Hecht joked, looking up intermittently while patching together a T-shirt. “Last name’s Hecht, always been hectic – hectic became associated with me and hectic things have happened.”

He keeps piles and piles of his T-shirts, hoodies and jeans patched with his nom de guerre in his room, where he painted the walls with a jagged mess of flowers, flames, and splashes of color. He sews everything by hand, spending hours on each piece. He said a single T-shirt will take him about 4 1/2 hours to produce.